Anyone involved in social networking should read this informative post by Kristen Lamb. The author of “We Are Not Alone- The Writer’s Guide To Social Media” and “Are You There Blog? It’s Me, Writer.” shares some great tips for keeping the internet wolves at bay. Lots of folks out there would love to hack your computer and steal your private info to use as their own. Kristen shares some of the latest internet scams that anyone with an email, Facebook or Twitter account should be aware of.

We live in a wonderful world, an amazing time with infinite possibilities. Writers have more power than ever before in the whole of human history. Many of us are explorers in a New World, charting unknown territories in a realm with no boundaries. The Digital World has no limits, because its genesis is human imagination and human art, which also has no limits. What the mind can believe, technology can achieve.

Every new territory comes with the splendors never seen, the resources never tapped, the powers never before harnessed. All of this is wonderful, but I wish all art was beautiful. All art is human and all art has intent, but some intent is, well, evil. Some art qualifies as a dark art. Its intent is to steal, to create havoc, to harm.

Last week, Kait Nolan posted about telling bedtime stories, (which you can read here) and the discussion got me thinking about the art of oral storytelling.

Long preceding the written word, storytelling is a craft quite unique from ours. Like comparing apples and oranges, storytellers and writers have things in common, but there are also many differences. The writer searches painstakingly for the perfect words, drawing a reader in with intricate details that add depth to characters and plot. The storyteller, like the writer, develops a story with a beginning, middle, and end… but they are very selective of the details they include, relying upon tone of voice, dialect, facial expressions, and body movement as added tools to connect them with their audience.

I’ll admit I’m not much of a storyteller. I can relate actual events of my day to people. I can tell a joke and get the expected response. What I’m lousy at, is telling a good-old once-upon-a-time—the stuff I love to write the most. So… does my way of analyzing these stories as a writer get in the way of my attempts to tell an effective story? I believe that may be my problem.

Do you have any personal storytelling experience? Tell us about it! Have you had the opportunity to listen to a professional storyteller—to consider the similarities and differences in our crafts? Feel free to chime in and share your thoughts. Would love to hear from you!

I read this post today from the blog, Write In Between. The writer talks about the attitudes expressed to her for showing an interest in popular fiction rather then focusing on that which is “literary”. This got me thinking….

Lately I’ve come across several displays of judgmental intolerance concerning the written word. You know them–the stone-throwers–people who can’t come to terms with the fact that not everyone is just like them. There are many who thrive on building themselves up by tearing others down. But if you are a writer, behaving toward others in this manner is almost as smart as shooting yourself in the foot.

I said almost as smart…

But, notquite.

Recently I came across a blog spouting horrible insults at any woman brainless and pathetic enough to ever enjoy reading a romance novel. Turns out the writer is a fiction author. I think he writes “guy” novels–action, espionage and the like. I suppose he believes his own writing is far superior to anything the romance genre could ever produce. Who knows. He could be right.

Here’s the thing…

I sometimes read “guy” books. I was such a voracious reader as a girl, I would often pick up stuff my dad had lying around the house. As long as it wasn’t too violent (I’m not big on horror) I’d read it. Even now, I am still drawn into these types of books from time to time. And I doubt I’m the only reader in the world who is tempted to cross genre lines and try different things. So… do you see what this guy does? He cuts off a portion of his own potential audience by slinging his vicious attitude directly at readers of a certain genre.

Might I enjoy reading one of his books? Maybe. Will I ever buy one for myself or as a gift? Not a chance. Perhaps I am stupid enough to to read the occasional romance novel. I, however, am not stupid enough to give this jerk my money.

To wrap things up, I’ll say this: every author has the absolute right to act like a pompous ass. We would never deny them that right. On the other hand, readers have the absolute right to choose which authors they do and don’t support. If you are a writer, even one who is not yet published, do yourself a favor and always keep that in mind as you tweet/Facebook/blog your opinions to the world. It only takes one thoughtless comment to destroy a career.

And if you experience “literary bullying” here’s my advice. Read the genre you want. Write the genre you want. Be who you are!

“Social Networking” thing these past few months, and I just wanted to share this blog by Donna Newton.

The balance has shifted. Nowadays, the majority of published authors find they are responsible for most, or all, of their own promotion. Donna offers sound advice to prepare writers for that eventuality, and some great books that will guide them along the way.

I haven’t blogged for a while. That’s because I’ve been busy having my world turned upside down. Someone said, “A writer MUST have a blog,” so I made one. Somebody else said, “Start a fan site on Facebook,” so I did. Then they tell you to build a what? A platform? How the heck do you do that?

Well, you start by reading We Are Not Alone: The Writer’s Guide To Social Media by Kristen Lamb. Am I a social media success story? Seriously, people… it’s been, like, a week since I read the book. No. Baby steps. Or they will be baby steps when I get that far. Right now I’m doing that thing babies do before they crawl. You know… the squiggling around on their belly stage? But I’m beginning to “get” it. It’s not quite as terrifying as anticipated, and best of all, it’s attainable.

If you are a writer with no idea of where to begin, or you have been making efforts that aren’t progressing as you’d hoped, check out this book.

I came across Kristen Lamb’s blog, and after reading a few posts, I immediately purchased two of her books. “We are Not Alone” is a great tool for writers trying to find their way in the big scary world of social media. You will learn a lot about setting up your accounts on sites like WordPress, Facebook and Twitter, but more importantly, you learn what you should do with those sites once you have them.

Her clear instructions and great sense of humor ease the process, however, you should be aware that there have been upgrades made to the social networks, so some of the step-by-step instructions won’t be spot-on.

Ms. Lamb is the first person to make the concept of “building a platform” seem achievable to me… not just that, but made me happy about jumping in with both feet. I look forward to reading her next book: “Are You There Blog? It’s Me, Writer”.

Just finished one of the best books I’ve ever read on story structure. Some complained that the author repeated himself a lot, and I can see their point on that, but it wasn’t really an issue for me. I guess I was busy trying to absorb everything as best I could, while picking apart my own works-in-progress in my mind. I have finished this with a lot of new ideas to put into play, and some excitement that the knowledge imparted here will get me closer o where I want to be. My Goodreads review:

Feb 13, 2012

Story Engineering- Mastering the 6 Core Competencies of Succesful Writing

I have only found a couple books on writing over the years that gave me more than just a few gems of useful info, but I have to say that this book was pure gold!!! If you are writing fiction, it is a must-have. I learned so much about story structure, character building, scene creation, theme… the list goes on and on.

Those who do little or no pre-planning before starting a story will be terrified of the ideas here, but I already used simple outlining to put my stories together. This just takes it so much deeper. We aren’t talking formula, but he clearly explains what nearly all good stories have in common, and how you can put those structural examples to work in your own writing. I take my goal of achieving publication very seriously, and I truly believe this is a tool that will help.

Keep Writing!

Laura

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One of my goals for 2012 was to do more reading. I kept it easy, only two books a month, more as a reminder to break away from the computer once in a while. So, I started reading the Dresden Files series. I’m going to add my posts here from Goodreads on both of the first two novels. I know I’m going a lot easier on these books than some reviewers. I just really enjoy the premise, and have had a good time reading them so far. Two books down… twenty-two to go!

Storm Front- A Novel of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

My Goodreads review on “Storm Front”:

I started out on the audio book for this one, and I loved listening to James Marsters. His voice is great for the part. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to finish the audio, and switched over to my print copy.
I’m not great at reviews. I just enjoy something, or I don’t. This novel had a few problems, but overall I loved the concept of a practicing wizard with a listing in the yellow pages. It was entertaining enough to make me overlook things that others complained about. I’m more than willing to continue the series.

I know folks have some complaints about this series,and I can see some of their points, but I still really like it. It’s a fun adventure and an enjoyable read.

That said, my worst problem with both the first two books has been with Murphy. In “Storm Front” I kept thinking that for such a great cop, her actions were kind-of stupid at times. The feeling only got worse in “Fool Moon.” Granted,she’s not the hero, and isn’t meant to save the day… but does her behavior have to be a major cause of problems that seem to make things change for the worse?

This was another neat take on supernatural beings. It looks like Harry might be opening up to the idea of a relationship, and we got to see some more glimpses of his hidden past. Most of the time, the story moves along well, making this a fairly fast read. I’m looking forward to the third installment.

I follow several blogs on writing, and came across a post about the PNWA (Pacific Northwest Writer’s Association) Literary Contest. So, after reading up on it a bit… and mulling over the idea of spending the $50 entry fee… I decided to enter The Enduring.

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A fellow blogger wrote a good piece about setting some writing goals for 2012, and I thought this would be a great plan for me. First of all, I love to make lists. It’s something about the sheer joy I get from check-marking tasks as they are completed. My way of presenting myself with a pat on the back or a gold star, I guess.

Also, with a mind that spends a great deal of time in my own personal Never Never Land (I warned you—unrestrained fancy.), I need occasional reminders that keep me grounded. The plan is to hang my list across from my desk. That way I see it all the time, and have no excuse for forgetting things.

Several of my items concern the internet. I’m planning to set up my website this year. Also, I want to blog regularly, and stop ignoring my Facebook and Twitter accounts. I’ll be sending out queries for The Enduring, and as soon as I finish the major edit in the works, Heart of the Jagdiip will start going out again too. I wrote a few chapters of the sequel to TE, and I’d like to complete the first draft this year. There’s another story idea on the back burner that I’m trying to develop enough to get a rough outline laid out. Then, I added one goal to read 2 new novels a month, and another to spend on night a month gaming or watching movies to give myself the occasional break.

It’s a pretty tough list. Knowing my schedule, things might not get done as quickly as I hoped. But I thank S.A.M. for inspiring me to actually put together some kind of game plan!